The Navajo Belief System
Posted On: March 10 2008
My friend David Moore, recently shared this with me. I found it so insightful, I wanted to share it with you.
According to the Navajo belief system, problems are best solved if everyone contributes to the solution. During the time of sheep-shearing, for example, when everyone in the extended family is involved in the process, a Navajo elder may invoke the phrase ba-je-la. This phrase is best translated as “everyone must now cooperate in this endeavor by using their own unique gifts and abilities so we can accomplish this task smoothly and with best results.”
There are a couple of things about this aspect of Navajo culture that I find instructive. I think our culture is prone to look to one person (father, mother, president, or other leader) for insight in solving some of our most basic problems. The Navajo seem to understand that bringing together the best that everyone has to offer within the community is the better approach. Secondly, the Navajo seem to have a keen recognition that we all have different gifts and acumens. When all of these are brought together and aligned properly to address the problem at hand there is better chance that nothing will fall through the cracks and the proper resolution will be rendered.
The Navajo language is rich in expressing human responsibility and how it is manifested within the family and the community. In fact, the Navajos were enlisted in the military during World War II to rely sensitive messages to and from the battlefields of the South Pacific. They were called Navajo “code talkers.” But they weren’t using code. They were using the Navajo language. It is the only communications device employed by our military that the Japanese were unable to crack.
If we were more strategic in our understanding of human responsibility I believe we would be enriched, less stressed, and value the contribution of others more highly, many of whom could help us greatly if only we ask them.
Nurturing Hope
Posted On: February 18 2008
Just a few short years ago we were heavily focused on helping victims of natural disasters all over the globe – from the Asian tsunami to Hurricane Katrina. This was, and still is an important focus for us. But at that time we had no ongoing feeding programs in place, and I was becoming ever more aware that children throughout the world were experiencing tsunami-like conditions every day of their lives, tens of thousands dying of starvation every year.
As a result, Convoy of Hope began a Nurturing Hope program that now provides daily meals to some 12,000 children.
I just returned from visiting some of the feeding initiatives in El Salvador. I heard parents say their children want to come to school so they can eat. I felt the warm hugs of grateful children and was moved by their smiles.
I walked through impoverished neighborhoods. I saw how the children lived: tiny one-room shanties with no electricity, no running water, and no sewage system in place. And I saw firsthand the difference Convoy of Hope is making. For many of these children, Convoy of Hope is providing their only meal of the day.
We want to continue to be a voice for starving children. I saw what one nourishing meal can do, as the children attending the school were regaining strength. But we need to do much more. We need to feed many more children. And with more resources… we will.
No ‘second-class’ citizens
Posted On: February 04 2008
Attending Convoy outreaches––whether it’s in Chicago or Brussels, Belgium––is one of the most fulfilling experiences in my life. I especially look forward to welcoming the guests––smiling, shaking their hands, and patting their small children on the head.
But there’s one thing at every outreach that causes tears to well up in my eyes: I meet people who are lonely – people who aren’t accustomed to the love, smiles and compassion they experience at a Convoy event.
In some circles, the poor are treated as second-class citizens; they have few friends and are often ignored. Proverbs 14:20 says, “The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.”
There are no second-class citizens in God’s eyes. He has given us the responsibility to befriend the poor, lift their spirits, and offer a helping hand.
At Convoy, we make every effort to treat each man, woman and child as God’s creation and a guest of honor. We’ve overheard guests say to the television news reporters, “They treated us like kings and queens at the Convoy of Hope.”
When we bring a smile to the faces of the poor, we bring a smile to the face of God.